The New York Rangers fired veteran coach Peter Laviolette Saturday, ending his tenure running the Blueshirts after two years.

The Rangers missed the Stanley Cup playoffs one year after winning the Presidents’ Trophy as the NHL’s best regular-season team, and that was a plummet in the standings that cost Laviolette his job.

Who could be Laviolette’s replacement behind the Rangers’ bench? Here are five coaches who could get the Blueshirts' bench boss job:

1. Rick Tocchet

Tocchet is still employed by the Vancouver Canucks, but there’s plenty of speculation out there that Tocchet and the Canucks could part ways. The former Cup-winning winger has expressed wanting to get a deal done to stay in Vancouver, but if Tocchet doesn't return to the Canucks' bench and wants to coach a team that has a chance to win right away, the Rangers fit that description. 

There will likely be a significant roster change for the Blueshirts, but with Tocchet on board, the Rangers could bounce back and return to the playoff mix at this time next year. Tocchet’s ability to be a motivator for a Rangers team that suffered greatly from a lack of belief in itself may be just what the doctor ordered. And the bright lights of Broadway will be very alluring to him, or just about any coach in the mix for the Rangers’ job.

2. David Carle

We noted at the end of last month that Carle could be the next coach of the Philadelphia Flyers, but the Rangers could wind up stepping in and hiring Carle to be their next bench boss instead.

At 35 years old, Carle has earned his reputation as an up-and-coming coach who’s had tremendous success at the University of Denver, and he’s likely to have his pick of jobs at the NHL level. 

Carle’s skills as a teacher are something the Rangers need for their young players, and he’s shown he can be very effective at the NCAA level, so the NHL is the next area for him to move into. The Rangers may need to move quickly on Carle before the Flyers or another team steps up and hires him, but money shouldn’t be an obstacle for the Rangers, and outbidding other teams for Carle would go a long way toward turning around the optics of this Blueshirts squad.

Could John Tortorella Coach The New York Rangers Once Again? With the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-rangers">New York Rangers</a> on the verge of missing the Stanley Cup playoffs entirely, the already deafening noise around head coach Peter Laviolette is beginning to reach a fever pitch.

3. Michael Peca

When Laviolette was fired Saturday, so was associate coach Phil Housley. But assistant coach Peca wasn’t one of the ones who lost his job, leading to speculation that Rangers GM Chris Drury could look internally to replace Laviolette and give the coach’s job to Peca.

The 51-year-old Peca is a former NHL star who has paid his dues as an assistant coach at the American League level, and for the Rangers for the past two seasons. He’s got the advantage of familiarity with current Rangers players, and Drury knows him well enough to hand the reins to him.

Peca would have serious pressure on him to produce positive results right away, but that’s true of whoever Drury hires as Laviolette’s replacement. Peca knows what it is to operate in a media-heavy Original Six market as a player and as a coach, and that could make him the right choice for the Rangers’ job.

4. Mike Sullivan

Sullivan is currently under contract as coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins, and he wants to remain their coach. He said at Friday’s season-ending press conference he has every intention of staying.

The reason he makes this list as a long shot is because the Penguins have missed the playoffs for three straight seasons while Sidney Crosby and their veteran core remain under contract. The Penguins may likely hang onto Sullivan, but he’s spent the past 10 years with Pittsburgh, and these recent results aren’t what the team and fan base are looking for. It wouldn’t be the biggest surprise if GM Kyle Dubas decided to find a fresh voice.

From 2009 to 2013, Sullivan served as an assistant coach for the Blueshirts, so he understands the fishbowl existence in Manhattan about as well as anyone.

Sullivan is also a multi-time Cup-winner, and that will make him an easy sell to Rangers fans upset with the team’s struggles this season. He could move to a team that needs to get back into the post-season right away and has most of the pieces to do so. That’s the kind of challenge every coach wants, and that’s why Sullivan would be an instant favorite to get the Rangers’ job if the Penguins move on from him.

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